Kurt Vonnegut Died on Tuesday

ThansalThansal The New Scum Join Date: 2002-08-22 Member: 1215Members, Constellation
edited April 2007 in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">Author of Slaughter House V and other great books</div>My girlfriend just told me the news that the author Kurt Vonnegut died on Tuesday at age 84

<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN1126991620070412?src=041207_0935_DOUBLEFEATURE_" target="_blank">Reuters article</a>
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Comments

  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
    Hm, my paper said he died on Wednesday. I want my money back.
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  • ThansalThansal The New Scum Join Date: 2002-08-22 Member: 1215Members, Constellation
    well, Reuters says NYT said tuesday night.
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  • puzlpuzl The Old Firm Join Date: 2003-02-26 Member: 14029Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation
    What a great Author. SH5 is a crazy book, worthy of many reads.
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  • douchebagatrondouchebagatron Custom member title Join Date: 2003-12-20 Member: 24581Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    i havent read slaughterhouse 5 but i read cat's cradle and it is quite awesome. ill have to pick up sl5.
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  • ThansalThansal The New Scum Join Date: 2002-08-22 Member: 1215Members, Constellation
    All of his works are great.

    There are alot of recuring themes through out his books, however I honestly like it (each time it is from a slightly different angle).
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  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    He was one of those guys who would have something meaningful to say about their own death if we could ask them.

    Here's a quote from Wikipedia's article about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dresden_in_World_War_II" target="_blank">Bombing of Dresden in World War II:</a>
    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->[...]the bombings eventually created a self-sustaining firestorm with temperatures peaking at over 1500°C (2700°F). After a wide area caught fire, the air above the bombed area became extremely hot and rose rapidly. Cold air then rushed in at ground level from outside, and people were sucked into the fire.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I can only guess at what it must have been like to have wittnessed such an inferno up close, what it does to a man. No wonder it influenced his works. The entire center of the city engulfed in a firestorm that must have seemed almost otherworldly to onlooker.
    I remember reading an article entitled <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,2763,1289492,00.html" target="_blank">How I survived Chernobyl</a>, specifically the following quote:
    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->There were two explosions and the 500-tonne safety cap was blown off the reactor.[...]"There was no ceiling, only sky; a sky full of stars." A stream of ionising radiation was shooting starwards, like a laser beam. "I remember thinking how beautiful it was."<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I imagine Vonnegut must've thought something similar, amid the fires.

    I did read Cat's Cradle, but at too young an age, so I didn't get it. Or maybe it's just not my kind of book. But I think I should give it another chance. Also, need to acquire Slaughterhouse Five.
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